Attaching means for wall facings



March i6, 193?. R. D. HAUGAARD 2,073,795

ATTAGHING MEANS FOR WALL FLAGINGS Filed Dec. 26, 1935 I I fioberf 0 Hquydam Patented Mar. 16, 1937 v UNITED STATES ATTACHING MEANS FOR WALL FACINGS 8 Claims.

This invention relates to building materials, and particularly to means for fastening tile, slabs, veneer, blocks, or the like, to building walls for facing purposes. I

An object of the invention is the provision of simple, emcient and easily mounted means for attaching facing tile or slabs to a wall in-la manner to facilitate erecting the facing material in a plumb and true plane irrespective of irregularities or out of plumb portions of the wall surface, and with the fastening means inconspicuously displayed.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, and from the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of r a facing attached to a wall by the means embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the attaching lugs, and Fig. 3 is a reduced perspective view of two attaching lugs with a facing mounting strip attached thereto.

Referring to the drawing, I designates a wall, and 2 the facing blocks attached thereto which are of ceramic, or other suitable material, and are usually of rectangular form.

The means employed for attaching the facing blocks 2 to the wall, and in which the present invention resides, include attaching lugs or bracket-like members 3 and block holding strips 4 Each lug 3 is preferably provided at one end with a vertical elongated slot 5 through which an attaching screw 6 may be inserted and near its other end with a transversely extending slot l with its walls undercut, in the present instance of dovetail form. The lug 3 adjacent to the slot 5 is preferably of a thickness to suit the required spacing of the facing blocks 2 from the wall surface.

The mounting strips 4 are intended to be horizontally disposed with respect to the associated wall and are preferably of a length to support a plurality of facing blocks 2 when placed in edge to edge abutting relation. The strips 4 are substantially I-form in cross-section, with the inner flanged end of dovetail form, as shown at 8, to fit and have sliding engagement in the grooves l of the lugs 3 on which it is mounted. The outer flanged edge of each strip 4 is also preferably of dovetail form to provide beveled surfaces 9 at top and bottom against which the respective correspondingly beveled upper and lower outer edges of the associated facing blocks are adapted to seat with their outer surfaces flush with the outer edge Surface of the mounting strips with which engaged. The thickness of the facing blocks 2 is equal to the distance between the outer side of a lug 3 adjacent to the slot 1 and the outer edge surface of the strip l mounted in such lug, so that the lugs, when mounted on a wall, serve as a gauge against which the blocks may be placed in mounting them on the strips 4. The thickness of the end portions of the lugs 3 in which the slots 5 are disposed are reduced relative to the body portions of the lugs so that the heads of the screws 6 will not interfere with a placing of the blocks.

The preferable manner of use of the attaching means comprising the present invention is as follows:-A desired number of lugs 3 are slidingly mounted on the inner edge of a strip 4 and the strip is then attached in the desired horizontal position to 'a wall face by securing the lugs to the wall by means of the screws 6. If the wall face is preferably plumb and regular, the lugs 3 may be placed in any desired position. Should, however, the wall face be irregular or out of plumb, that is, having some high and some low spots, the lugs are adjusted on the strips to suit the surface to which attached and are preferably placed over low spots rather than high spots. If the portion of a wall against which a lug is placed is too low, the lug is shimmed out by suitable shimming members, one of which is shown at Ill in Fig. 1, so that the outer broadened surfaces of all of the lugs 3 are plumb or in a true plane. A row of facing blocks 2 is then mounted on the strip 4 with their inner sides in abutment with the broadened portions of the associated lugs 3 and with their outer sides flush with the outer edges of the strips, this being permitted by reason of the complemental beveling of the outer edge flanges of the strips and the coacting edges of the blocks.

While it is preferable to'attach mounting strips 4 to a wall above and below the edges of a row of blocks before such blocks are positioned, it is apparent that each strip may be attached to a wall after the row of blocks next below, with the upper edges of which it engages, have been positioned. The provision of the slots 5 in the lugs 3 enables the lugs to be vertically adjusted so as to properly position the strips 4 with respect to the row of blocks next below after the screws 6 have been inserted into the wall but before being tightened against the lugs to hold them in adjusted position. While the facing blocks 2 rest at their lower edges on a subjacent mounting strip 4, their upper edges are preferably slightly spaced from the next superposed strip 4 to permit expansion of the blocks under changing temperature conditions. The space between the wall I and facing blocks 2 is customarily filled by a mastic material.

It is apparent that the present attaching means for wall facing blocks may be attached to a wall in an easy and inexpensive manner; that it is adapted for use on walls having irregular as well as regular surfaces, and when properly mounted on such Walls serves as a true plumbing means for the facing blocks and at the same time retains the blocks securely to the wall without any conspicuous showing of the attaching means. In this connection, the outer ends of the strips 4 may be painted or colored to correspond to the painting or coloring of the facing blocks, thus preventing the fastening means from breaking up or marring the continuity of the facing material surface.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. In an attaching device of the class described, a member having a rear portion formed to engage a wall or the like, said member having a longitudinal slot attaching means formed to be projected through the slot to attach the latter to the wall, said member being formed with a groove of dovetail cross section on its outer portion, and a strip independent of the member having a dove-tail portion for being slidably received in the dove-tail groove of the member.

2. In an attaching device of the type set forth, a bracket-like member having a slot and a rear portion formed to engage the face of a wall or the like, means independent of the member and receivable through the slot to rigidly secure same against the wall or the like, a strip independent of the member, and means to slidably connect the strip to the member.

3. In an attaching device of the type set forth, a bracket-like member having a vertical slot and a rear portion formed to engage against the face of a wall or the like, means independent of the member and adapted to be projected through the slot and into the wall to hold the member rigidly in position, a strip independent of the member, and means spaced from the slot to connect the strip to the member.

4. In an attaching device of the type set forth, a strip, a series of members independent of the strip, means whereby the members may be mounted on the strip at selected positons thereon before the strip is secured to the wall, said members having parts which extend beyond a side face of the strip to provide attaching means and means to connect said parts of the strips against the face of the wall.

5. An attaching means in accordance with claim 4, wherein said parts of the members which extend beyond the strips are formed with slots and wherein the attaching means consists of fasteners received in the slots and projected into the wall.

6. An attaching device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the members have out out portions in the fronts of the parts thereof which extend beyond the strip and wherein such parts are formed with slots to receive the attaching means whereby to cause the latter to lie flush with the outer face of the cut-out portions.

7. In an attaching means for wall facings, a series of alined independent members each having a vertical slot, a fastener received in each slot for rigidly anchoring the member to' a wall at a selected position thereon and to provide for vertical adjustments of the member on the wall so as to enable the members to be secured in a line, transversely extending strip engaging means carried by each member, and a strip having a part formed complementary to said strip engaging means of the members for connection therewith.

8. In an attaching device of the type set forth, a strip, a series of alined members independent of the strip, complementary means between each member and the strip whereby to slidably connect the members and strip so that the members may be disposed at varying positions along the length of the strip in accordance with any irregularities which the face of the wall may possess, and means .to secure each member to the wall in its aforesaid position.

ROBERT D. HAUGAARD. 

